THE FIRST CHAPTER IN THE BRAND’S NEW EXPLORATORY R&D LINE

Manufacture Breguet announces the creation of a line that will incorporate the latest innovations from its Research and Development department. Named “Expérimentale”, it is initially being introduced through a Marine wristwatch featuring an innovative and daring design. This timepiece crafted in Breguet gold is equipped with the very first high-frequency (10 Hz) tourbillon with a magnetic escapement and delivering constant force to the balance. It is certified by the Breguet hallmark.

R&D have been core to numerous Breguet creations for 250 years. This spirit was instilled by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, who was responsible from 1775 onwards for most of the watchmaking innovations of that era: the tourbillon, the perpétuelle watch, the natural escapement, the constant-force escapement, the “observation” seconds counter (which gave rise to the chronograph), the shock absorber, the Breguet balance-spring with its terminal curve, the gong-spring (for chiming watches), the first wristwatch, etc.

To give shape to this approach based on continuous progress, the Manufacture decided to develop a collection in parallel with its existing ones and named Expérimentale. This series of special timepieces pays tribute to A.-L. Breguet’s creations that all underwent an experimental phase. This experimental collection is designed to showcase the brand’s latest technical and aesthetic developments. It offers a glimpse of what Breguet watchmaking will look like in the future.

For collectors, it is also an opportunity to be among the first to acquire high-end timepieces in strictly limited series, of which the scientific content will be developed in subsequent collections.

EXPÉRIMENTALE 1, PIONEERING BY NATURE

While the first timepiece in this new collection marks the final chapter in Manufacture Breguet’s 250th anniversary celebrations, it also represents the first chapter of its future. An inaugural creation whose purpose is to pave the way for the House going forward. The Expérimentale 1 is not a spontaneous creation, stemming instead from many years of R&D work carried out behind the scenes and that has given rise to the current watches, notably the Classique, Tradition, Marine and Type XX collections.

The Expérimentale programme aims to highlight this R&D shedding light on the entire field of horology through its work on materials, electromagnetism, vibratory mechanics and acoustics. Science in the broadest sense of the term, connecting with design.

HIGHLIGHTING REMEMBRANCE

For this first instalment, Breguet has fulfilled two objectives. The first, fundamental goal underpinning all technical endeavours is the quest for precision. The second is to build a bridge between legacy and the future. This approach is being rolled out as part of the House’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Highlighting the historical significance of the Expérimentale 1 seemed an obvious choice.

These ties with the past are expressed by making this timepiece part of the Marine collection. The aim is to recall that, after his appointment to the Paris Bureau des Longitudes in 1814, A.-L. Breguet was awarded the title of Horloger de la Marine Royale (Watchmaker by appointment to the Royal Navy) by Louis XVIII. This distinction was the most prestigious a watchmaker could possibly receive, as the very notion of maritime horology required scientific expertise.

The Expérimentale 1 represents a continuation of this tradition, showcasing technical breakthroughs that are already shaping the future of Haute Horlogerie.

INSPIRED DESIGN

The Expérimentale 1 is based on several complementary aesthetic foundations interacting to form a unique and harmonious whole.

For this first opus, the designers drew inspiration from the history of the Marine collection, with L’Expérimentale featuring some of its codes: a sporty case, close-set central lugs, a rubber strap (interchangeable for the first time), as well as utmost attention devoted to readability – notably enhanced by all-luminescent indications. From a historical perspective, it echoes the aesthetic codes of Reference 3448, particularly in terms of its dial display and movement architecture. Furthermore, the Expérimentale 1 echoes the Reference 1747 model created in 1997 to mark the 250th anniversary of A.-L. Breguet’s birth.

This establishes a natural connection with the Expérimentale 1, unveiled in 2025 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Manufacture that has borne his name since 1775. Another obvious link is that the 1747 was the first wristwatch to feature a regulator display in Breguet’s recent history – and the likewise regulator-type Expérimentale 1 is its legitimate successor. The lineage dates all the way back to the authentic Marine Chronometer No. 104 by A.-L. Breguet. At the time, the great watchmaker was exiled from France, where the Revolution was raging. The piece was started in the temporary workshop he had set up in Le Locle.

No. 104 was Breguet’s first known marine chronometer, just as the Expérimentale 1 is Breguet’s first pure R&D model; finally, No. 104 was the first to use Arabic numerals (extremely rare at the time), which are also picked up on the Expérimentale 1.

THE QUEST FOR PRECISION

On a technical level, the choice of distinctive characteristics contributing to enhanced accuracy was just as obvious. Precision was and remains the driving force behind Breguet’s innovation. It was the reason for almost all the innovations introduced by A.-L. Breguet, a watchmaker who spent his entire life perfecting the art of horology. It should be noted that Breguet filed very few patents during his lifetime, as they were rarely needed at the time. Two of them did however leave an indelible imprint on their era. The first was filed on 9 March 1798 and related to constant force, while the second registered on 26 June 1801 was intended to protect the tourbillon.

Two centuries later, Manufacture Breguet is following in the great watchmaker’s footsteps by pushing these two fundamental areas of endeavour up a further notch on the tourbillon and the constant-force escapement. Together with the magnetic escapement, they form the heart of the Expérimentale 1. Like A.-L. Breguet’s original creations, its components have been designed to bring real added value to the product. The Expérimentale 1 heralds a new era for watchmaking, in which the Manufacture will showcase the fruits of its watchmaking and scientific research.

SETTING THE TERMS OF THE HOROLOGICAL EQUATION

The quest for accuracy cannot be reduced to one sole problem with a single solution, instead combining at least three variables. The first is the consistent amplitude of the balance. The latter is located downstream from the barrel, whose torque decreases as the power reserve is depleted. It is therefore inherently very difficult for the balance to maintain a constant amplitude if the energy it receives is not consistent. The second is the influence of Earth’s gravity, which particularly affects the entire regulating organ (balance and hairspring), thereby impacting its performance.

The third factor is shock resistance. All contemporary watches are subjected to accelerations that are multiples of the Earth’s gravitational acceleration expressed in “gs”. More dramatically, they can be subjected to impacts – including those involved in simply placing a watch on a hard surface. Every impact and every movement affects the regular running of the watch – and hence impairs its precision.